Paul McCartney, Merle Haggard among Kennedy Center honorees

This year's Kennedy Center Honors will pay tribute to a rock legend and a country legend: Paul McCartney and Merle Haggard.

Now in their 33rd year, the Kennedy Center Honors are given annually in recognition for lifetime contributions to American culture. This year's other honorees include TV host/producer/actress Oprah Winfrey, composer/lyricist Jerry Herman ("Hello, Dolly!," "Mame") and choreographer Bill T. Jones.

The Honors Gala, which will be broadcast on CBS-TV, is scheduled to take place Dec. 5 at the Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, DC. The honorees will attend a reception with President and Mrs. Obama prior to the gala, then the honorees and the President will move to the Opera House to take their seats. There, the honorees will receive tributes by a list of performers to be announced.

It will be at least the second time McCartney and Obama have met this year; in June the President presented McCartney with the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in Performance.

"President Kennedy was such an icon for us in the '60s, and his presidency was so inspiring for so many people that it is a great pleasure for this kid from Liverpool to receive this honor," McCartney said of the Kennedy Honor in a statement.

Honorees will receive their Kennedy Center Honors medallions the night before the gala at a State Department dinner hosted by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.